Man bashes wife over private call during the night

A COWDRAY Park man allegedly bashed his 30-year-old wife after she received a phone call from an unknown caller during the night.

Vongai Murambiwa (30) filed assault charges against her husband, Larrence Gwati, who appeared before Western Commonage magistrate Tancy Chipumha Dube where he was charged for violating Section 4(1) of the Domestic Violence Act.

He pleaded guilty to the charge and was remanded out of custody to January 17.

Murambiwa told the court that she, however, was willing to drop the charges, since family elders had intervened and rebuked their “childish behaviour”.

“If it is possible, I may want to drop the charges because this matter has already been settled within the family boundaries,” she said.

“My husband has apologised and I have forgiven him.”

Prosecutor Mufaro Mageza told the court that on January 11, Gwati had visited his wife in Bulawayo, when she received a phone call from a man and failed to give a satisfactory explanation when she was asked.

Gwati asked his wife who she had been talking to and she mumbled, claiming it was one of her customers.

Not satisfied with the response, Gwati asking her what kind of customer would call around 10pm.

A misunderstanding arose when Gwati grabbed the phone, called the number back and discovered it was not a customer as claimed.

Gwati bashed his wife with blows on the face and later on picked up a chair to assault her with it.

“I only beat her up because she was lying to me, which meant she was not faithful,” he said.

Murambiwa reported the assault to the police, leading to Gwati’s arrest.